Ripened Wheat.
We Kent to-day o'er a onfllued lorm,
Ad our teara full eoltly clown.
Wo looked our last on the aged faro,
Willi ita look ol peace, ita patient Ki*cc,
And hair like a aitrer crown. •
Wc lour lied our own to the clay-cold hand a,
From lilo'a loug labor at root;
And among the bloasotna white ami awoot
Wo notod a bunch ol golden wheat
I'laeped cloao to the allonl breast.
The bloeenma whispered of fadeless bloom,
Of thelsnd where lulls no tear;
But lho ripe wheat told of toil and care,
The patient waiting, the trusting pin)or
The garnered good of the year.
Wok now not what work her hands had found, j
What rugged place her feel;
What I'KIW was hers, what blackncu ol night;
Wo.saw but poace, tho bloasoms while,
And the bunch of ripened wheat.
LOST HER PLACE.
A STORY OF WASHINGTON I.IKK.
"It's only a six-hundred office!" said
Crocus (iraltain. with flushed cheek
and glittering eyes. "Anil when nty
car-fares are paid, and nty dress pro- (
vided for, there isn't so much, after |
all! I'm sure nobody need covet it!"
Mrs. (iraham looked at her daughter
with foldetl hands anil a troubled ex
pression of countenance.
"Yes, 1 know. Crocus," she said, in
that soft, tremulous falsetto of hers.
•'Hut six hundred dollars is six htin- !
dred dollars, and, after ail, these public
offices are a deal more genteel than
school-teaching, or tlress-making, ->r
any other way by which a friendless
woman may earn a living. And this
Mrs. Altainont has powerful political
friends, and they tell me a place must
lie found for her, at all hazards,"
"And so," cried indignant Crocus,
"I am to he flung—ami you with me,
mamma—helpless upon the world!"
"Xot helpless, Crocus, dear!"
"Mamma, how can it t>e otherwise '"
saitl Crocus, looking pitifully down on
her little white hands, pink as to the
nails, and dimpled as to the joints.
•"We cannot dig—to heg we are
ashamed!' ltut I never will demean
myself to ask favors of the depart
ment. I have always done my duty
faithfully, and earned my salary. And
now to lie displaced for the sake >f a
dashing society widow with big eyes
and rouged checks—is it not enough
to make <-■" blush for one's country -''
"It's the way of the world. Crocus!"
sighed Mrs. (iraham. "The weak must
stand aside, while the chariots of the
strong mil on!"
"Hut I couldn't have believed it of
the auditor, mamtua!" urg-sl Crocus
"lie was jKKir papa's old friend. and
ho was always so very, very kind to
me!"
"An auditor, mv dear, has something
to do beside-, to study to do besides t <
study the welfare of every one of tip
clerks in his department," reasoned
Mrs. firaham.
"I am sorry 1 bought that new dress
now," saitl Crocus, regretfully. "I
didn't really need it; hut the pattern
w;ts so pretty! pink moss-rosebuds on
a white ground, if was only twenty
five cents a yard; hut there was the
making, ami the riblion-hows anil
loops, and the buttons. And I have
saved so little out of my salary! Oh.
mamma! how could I have been so
Improvident? What will a hundred
and seventy-five dollars do toward
supporting us now?"
"Look, Crocus!"
Mrs. (iraham. sitting by the window,
had chanced to perceive an open
barouche rolling leisurely down Penn
sylvania avenue under the Imwery
droop of the trees, with an elegantly
dressed lady reclining among its satin
cushions, end a portly, red-faced gen
tleman seated by her side.
"I see," said Crocus, slightly frown- '-
Ing, while a scarlet spot came into
either cheek. "It Is Mrs. Altainont
Anil that is her cousin, the senator .
Did you see the diamonds dash in her
ears, mamma? oh, of course. Senator
Stalkeup can demand any favor he
pleases from the government for any
needy relation he happens to have!
And I —poor I—am to he the scrape
goat. I dare say. the six-hiiiulred-dol
lar salary will do very well to buy
gloves and hoots and can de cologne
for Mrs. Altainont To us, mamma, it
was a living."
Crocus firahain was the daughter
of a gallant officer, who had died in
his country's service. She had been
in a Itoarding-school when he died, and
her first ex|ierlence of the real world
was in the public office at Washington,
where she was set diligently at work.
Bhe liked it. Bhe gloried in thus
supporting herself ami her mother, in
stewl of sinking to the level of millin
ery, boarding-house keeping or gentcej
beggary.
She engaged Itoard at the cheapest
place which was consonant with her
dignity as a lady. She mended her
gloves and made over her mother's
caps, and rejoici-d greatly in that she
wns independent of the world which
uses widows and orphans so hardly.
"Mamma," said Crocus, suddenly*
"I won't wait to he discharged—l'll
resign!"
"Would that nc wise, Crocus?" said
the gentle widow.
"We'll go West, mamma," said
Crocus. "Uncle Joseph took up a
government claim ia Dakota. We'll
raise chickens and bees and turn
farmers there!"
"Ihit, darling, wnat can two women
like us do?" pleaded Mrs. (iraham.
"Two women, mammal" cried Cro
cus, trying to laugh. "Why, there's
nothing in all the world that they cuu'f
do! I may be returned yet as one of
the representatives of some hitherto
unnamed territory; and in that ease,
I'll do my host to pass a law that no
political influence shall drive a hard
working girl from her place, t<> make
room for an overdressed widow who |
wants t-> earn a little more pin
money—"
"Crocus!"
"Wouldn't it he a good i-lea.mamiua ?
: llul now 1 must sit down and count
the money I have left of this month's
I salary. lam not hv any means sure
1 that I have enough to take us to
Dakota unless indeed we were to sell
I the old pearl brooch that Iwdongisl to
j your mother. And I've a sort of fancy
that luck would desert us if we parted
■ with that old pearl brooch."
Later in the afternoon, Crocus (!ru
liatn put on the pink moss-rose gown,
with a pretty little hat of rose-eolored
erape. which she had herself made
and crept out under the shadow of the
great lime-trees in the capitol grounds,
to hear the hand play.
All the world w.ts there the belles
->f the great city, the fashionahli-s, the
not abilities. Kh-gant carriages block
-s| up the drives, rami mi vs groups
studded the velvet lawns; and almost'
the first thing which Crocus saw was
the tall figure of the twenty-fifth
auditor, standing ls-side Senator
stalkcup's carriage, while that rubi
cund personage gesticulated vehement
ly, and Mrs. Altainont leaned smiling
ly forward, beneath the gohlen-stuidow
of her amber-lin- d parsol.
"My cousin muxt Is- provided for,
d-n't you sec?" saitl the senator.
"And they tell me that your depart
ment is the pleasantest place in the
Treasury Huil-iing; and if there isn't
any v.t amy just now, why, you must
maki one' Nothing--an 1-e easier. I
am sure."
"You think so?" said tho twenty
fifth audinr, win- was a tall man, with
Indian-dark hair and eyes, and a
Na|s>leonie c-information of brow.
"Think s-. man? 1 know it!" said
the senator. "Rotation in office
that's the only safe rule. Keep the
wheel turning make matters lively!"
Just then the line of carriages be
gan to move slowly on.
The auditor stepped hack; Mrs.
Altainont waved 10-r •r> nm-gloved
hand, and the roseate e.-unt- nance of
senator Malkcup was wafted from
view.
As the audit >r turned itit • a path
sweet with roses and shadowed with
the "dropping gold" <>f laburnum, he
- aine face to face with Crocus, sitting
--n a rustic bench of twisted ccdar
i toughs,
"Mr. Harrington!" she exclaimed,
with a start.
"Miss iiraham!'*
"I—l only came out to hear the
hand play, and get a little breath of
fresh air." faltered Crocus.
"It is a la-auliful place here," said
Mr. Harrington, gravely.
He had known Miss (iraham for
two years now. He lia-l seen her
daily at her de*k; he had exchanged
1 courteous salutations with her, as she
'. ?aiue, every morning, out of theyellow.
Southern sunshine into the cool arcades
i of the marble-pillared Treasury Build-
I ing. with rones in her hosom. and the
soft flush of youth and health on her
! rheek.
Her dead father had been good to
him. as a young man. and he had
never forgotten this. And l>esides—
Hut Crocus' heart sank piteously, as
he looked down at her with that seri
ous, observant eve of his.
"lie is thinking how he shall break
it tome," she thought to herself. "Oh,
dear! oh. dear! I wish it were nil over,
and I was safe on tho Dakota farm.
. with tuamma and the licehives."
He spoke at last, after what seemed
an interminable silenco—spoko in a
j low, earnest voice.
"Miss (irahain," ho said, "did you
' ever think of leaving the depart
ment?"
"Of giving up my office?" uttered
Crocus, quickly.
"Yes," he said, "i suppose, of
course, it would amount to that."
Crocus rose and stood playing with
the tassel on her fan in a nervous sort
of wny.
"It is very kind of you to lead up to
the subject so carefully, Mr. Harring
ton," said she, "hut —but I know all
1 about it already."
Ho lookod t her with nuzzled, in
tent eyes.
I do not aoo how thnt can no possi
ble, Miss Graham," said he.
"Oh, I am quicker-sighted than yon
; think!" Crocus answered, with a forced
j laugh. "I have seen it coming for
j some time. It in scarcely necessary,
; I suppose, to ask my opinion."
"Hut it in necessary very necessary,
1 indeed!" said the auditor. "I am some
years your senior. Miss Graham, hut I
j believe 1 could make you happy. At
least that is the conclusion at which I
have arrived, after many days and
I nights of reflection on the subject.
And if yon will decide to look favor
ably upon my suit—"
"Mut," criisl Crocus, with burning
cheeks, "1 was talking about my ollico
; in the department!"
I "And I," said Mr. Harrington, "am
talking alxiut //•<!"
If the winged god Mercury had come
down from his marble pedestia!among
the catalpa-trees if the inagnitlcant
statue of the "I'ioncer" had descended
from the portico above, and asked for ,
Iter love, Crocus (iraham could not
have been more taken by surprise.
"I'm afraid I am very stupid, Mr.
Harrington," she said; "but but did
you mean to ask me if—"
"If you would marry me yes!" said
the twenty-lifth auditor, couiposislly.
"It doesn't seem possible!" said Cro
cus; and then, in her bewilderment of
happiness, she began to cry.
I'oor, little, human wild-llower! she
never had anticipated any such sun
shine as this.
So Mrs. Vltam >nt got the six-hun
drcd-dollar oflicc. and senator Mak
eup was satisfied \nll the liakota
farm project reiuainisl a myth.
And sometimes whin Crocus comes
toiler husband's private office in the
department, a sw • < t-f.e iil matron in
-ilk and jevyels, shelo>k- pityingly at
the lady-i Jerks. with Mr- \lt anion t
in their midst, md wonders if it were
possible that v/e was once one
them.
"Itseems s., b.rig ago," say- Afr-.
Harrington "oh, so very, very long!"
ii'l' tt /''l|i tf It Kir. .
Tile Second Greatest Man.
If we are united in the -pinion as to
which i- our best month, we are
eijiiallv of one mind who was the
greatest man that the I'nited Static
has ]>rislueei|. That lias Iss'oine a
traditional article of tx lief. lint the
ipn-stion now is. Who was or is our
second greatest man .' This is a pie—
tion which the I'raw er refers to the
autumn and winter debating societies
for solution. It will I*• a good ex ere: -e
for the young gentb nun and young
la lie- f. r we remember what age !
we are living in, ttiat we are living in i
a grand and awful time, and perba]>s i
it was , woman to bring forward
their candidate, for the second lon r.
and to refresh the mind of their
audiences with the virtues <f th(-o <
rival claims to greatness. The .juestion '
is an old one, for we learn in Judge <
Curtis's able "Lifeof James Huchanan" 1
that it was asked in l*-kl in the Alex
ander Institution, iti Moscow. In one
of Ins letters Mr. Huehanan -ay-that i
he heard the l>vs examined \
there, and to the 'position, "Who was i
the greatest man that America had !
produced?" at oy promptly answered, i
"Washington." Hut on the second j
(piestion. "Who was the next in great- 1
niwthe Ixiv hesitated, and theqnes
tion has never been answered. The
-ainc I m iy, who might have settled this i
•pie-tion if lie hail not hesitated, vva- ]
asked who was the celebrated amhasaa- 1
dor to l'aris, and instantly answered, !
as if he had been in a civil service ex- i
aniination. Itolemy l*biladelphus. Hut t
he at once corrected hiniself. and said '
Franklin. And the Hrawer thinks
that Franklin wouldn't tieabad second
to start on. Wor/irr'* Maynzin'.
Three Thousand Snakes.
According to sim * the numlier of
snakes killed near Falls City, Neb,,
during an overflow of the Xeinaha
river is almost lieyond belief. They
were driven by the water from the
Isittorn lands to the higher grounds,
and especially to the embankments
thrown ii|r for railways. It is estimat
that more than 3<kK) snakes were kill
ed within a inile of this town. Sfcev
were chiefly garter -snakes, but water
moccasins, blue racers and rattle
snakes were also killed. A horse was
confined in a pasture surrounded by a
wire fence in the overflowed district,
and when released it was found that
several snakes had taken refuge In his
mane. .Since my residence hero I have
traveled nearly all over this country, yet
up to the time of the present overflow,
I had failed to see half a dozen snakes
all told. The overflowed district along
the Nemaha would not average over a
i mile in width, and it Is astonishing
i I where so many snakes found hiding
places. Nearly all the snakes In this
1 country are confined to the creek and
j river bottoms.
EARTH TORPEDOES.
An Invention Which la About lo llavoln
tlonlar liar Art ofS'ir.
Particulars concerning the earth tor
pedoes which were lately tested at
'i'hur have been published by the
Geneva papers. The result of the ex
periments was considered so satisfaet- j
ory that the Swiss military authorities
have advised the federal council to
purchase the right of making the tor
pedoes und the secret of their construc
tion from the inventor, Lieut. Foodor
von /.übowitz of the Austrian army, j
The Zuhowit/ torpedo, according to
several high military authorities, is
destined to effect a partial revolution
In the art of war, especially' of defen
sive war. It renders possible the lay- 1
ing, In a very short time and by com- j
inon workmen, of a series of powerful !
mines, any one of which can be made,
as circumstanced may require, either ,
harmless or arranged in such a manlier
as to be exploded by a -hock, a train
of gunpowder or an electric wire. In
fifteen minutes sixty men can furnish
with these torpedoes a line lUOO yards
long. The system, moreover, offers
great ad vantages lor strengthening
the outwork-of permanent or tempo
rary fortifications, barring defiles, pro
tecting at- exposed ilatik. reinforcing a
barricade, covering a weak deta(di
luent or defending a line of retreat.
Ihe perfection of thi- engine of de
struction occupied Lieut. ZulM.wit/
seven years, and it i- said now to have
al' the properties which such an inven
tion ought to j mi- -ess certainly <d ef
fect. cheapness, simplicity of construc
tion and case of in.-inipul.it i-m. After
a series of scan lurig experiments it
was warmly riw olium-mlcd hy the eti
gineer section tlie Austrian military
c mini—on and was u-cl witii suece -
during the late insurrection in the
smith of Halmatia On one occasion
tin men completely barred, in seven
teen minutes, the pass of Han with
fifteen t"rped"es. In ajipearam e t tie
t'irpedo j- i -..rt "f -'piare shra]>nel.
The charge i- explosive Traut/el gda.
tine, and hy im an- "fa -imple interior
mechanism, can be burst either aUive
ground, under a layer of earth or
under water. The tori-edoes arc made
in series corresponding with their
charges, which range from b-ur jM.umls
to 100 pounds, and are < lasscsl r- -j- t
ively according to t!■ use for which
they are destined, as torjicdoo* of ol>-
servation, of contact and of jwrcus-ion.
The two last named - >rt-are mi ant to
be exploded by the enemy involunta
rily. of course The eontii't tor | win
may !*• put in any place where its ex
Ist en re i- not likely to suj>ected
in an abandoned carriage. j la '-I a< ro--
a r ad. behind a door or a gate whi< h
has to Is ojH'ned, the mcT' removal of
the olistrde being suihi lent to cause
the ex pi..si..n. I'to-j>er< usd' H tnrjtedo
is hidden a few- inches b- ncath the
soil or in a drain, and cvplodi , readily
under the weight of a numlier of ii en
or the pressiin of a vehicle or the
tramp of a horse. The four pound
torp.-I.M-- ar< f..r instant use, and
Is'ing easy of tran-jxirt. may lie tak-n '
alnio-t win rex. r tr.M.p- ran inar- h.
Twenty five of them can be parked mi
one bat mule. A suigle torpedo of '
this caliler will break uj> an ordinary
road to its tnll width, and three or
four torjiedoes along a road are jnufi
cient to render it Imjuisah|e. They
pulverize every thing within a diame
ter of seven an l break everything
within adi me ter of thirteen metres
from the centre of explosion They
may l-e buried under four or tixe cent
(metres of earth w ithiait detriment to
their destructive effect. It is only the
larger engines that .an is* buried
deeper than this without impairing
their efficiency Cp to a distance of
three kilometres explosion can le
produced mechanically without the '
aid of electricity, either bv design on '
the part of the operator or involunta
rily by some a< tof the enemy. As
touching the time required to place
those torpedoes under a layer of earth
five centimetres thick, it has Iteen
found by actual experiment that in
fifteen minutes sixty men may sow in
this way one hundred and twenty en
gines in three or four lines over one
square kilometer of ground, thereby .
rendering it alisolutcly impassable. A
regiment that would attempt to march
over it would le simply pulverized.
M
A Whistling Tree.
In the deep and almost impenetrable
forists Of Xtibia la found a tree that
litters at times the most mournful and
plaintive notes. Sometimes these
sounds are shrill and clear, at others j '
die away to an almost imperceptible
whisper, as if some captive spirit were
complaining of Its lot. The effect is
singular, weird ami startling, until the
cause Is known. Thetreeiaa species'
of Acaciaand the sound is produced by
rajeshaped galls or secretions of some
Insect- The wind In passing through
Uie tree produces tlie whistling noise
referred to.
A WAR BmUIMCIKCB,
• low m Vtegui mr Hftinr Haa Thumped
Into lUapot t for ilia Volunteer**
Heading General Lew Wallace's let
ter to the eleventh Indian regiment,
defending his course at Nhiloh, I was
reminded of an accident which liu|>-
pened shortly after that conflict, said
a veteran of the war to a represent a- ,
five of the Indianapolis Journal. It
happened at Louisville, and General
Wallace and the late Gem-rat K. <>. C.
j :>rd, his son ( who acted as one of his |
j father's aidsy, and Major James It.
K<hh, of this city, who was at the time
acting as Wallace's aid-do-cauip, were
the parties interested. There was al
ways an air of su|>eriority worn by the
' officers of tin- regular army towards
those of the volunteer service, and this
feeling was so bitter on the part of
some as to le the cause of a feeling
i amounting almost to positive hatred
' rd was a general of the regulars, and
iiis sen was a lieutenant in the same
service, of equal rank with Hoss, a vol
unteer, and young (>rd occasionally
tixik occasion to snub Ins coinrade,
but the latter wasn-tthe kind of a
man to toady anyone. It was after
the battle of Hiiloh and a numt<er of
gem ral officers and uieiiiis-rs of their
staffs were at I/ouisville, with head
■jiiarters at the Louisville hotel, among
tiie iuiiiilmt is'ing General iJrd and his
-on. They never omitted an opportu
nity to speak siieeringly of General
W .aliaee. or for tliat matter, any vol
unteer officer. One night young < rd
was engaged in playing billiards in ,
the billiard-room of the hotel, and his
father was in the corridor talking
with some other officers. It wanpro
|..e,iMl that the partv take a walk alemt
ttie eitv. ami a- tlie liiglit was cool the
g(-n< ral turni-l to Major H—. and in a
tone of command, said "Lieutenant,
go to my room and get my overcoat-"
The young officer turned sharply, and.
without offering to olw-y the command,
rcplnsj. jerking his thumb over his
shoulder in the direction of the bil
liard-roorn: "There i- an artist in there
sir. who can a-a- your servant." The
general * ml nothing, b .' w x- forc-l t"'
make bis -..n stoj playing to do tb<-
errand or climb the stairs himself, and
chose the former course. After the
occurrcm-c young (>rd was even more
overlM arlng in Ins demeanor towards
110-s than ev cr Is-fore, and the feel
ing of animosity N-tween them vxas
greatly einbittere.l, <ne night short
ly afterward (ieneral Wallace was
standing in a group of officers at the
hotel, and near at hand was young
(r<l Willi a limed psrty of soldiers
and (iv ilians. shik- ' tie in the party
-inghsl Hie (ieneral out. and addressing
< >rd. a-k(s| who that '■;) cr vva-. "(h.
that is Lew Wallaei.the man who
tru-l s . hard to 10-'- sj,," arisvv. risl
the In litcnant. scar. <-|y had he (in;-li
ed s|.c. iking when H",s, who had in
advertently heard tie r.-inark.stepjusl
briskly forward and struck the com
mander's slanderer a -t.nging slap on
the check, following it up with a blow
which sent the young man -prawling
on the door "Von have ttfiump)
slandered <.eneral M'allace In partic
ular (thump, and the volunteer 5.,1-dur
dur in general," (thump), shouted
lt<">s. "until I have fthutnpistood all
I <anof it (thump i. and now (thump t
I projx.se to show you . thumj>, that
there is at least one volunteer offi
cer thump i vth'i !-• more of a man
than a regular of sjual rank." and
bumpety-biimp went the young man's
head against the floor. The thumj.-
ing prssss continued until the by
standers pulled Hoss ofT and allowed
the other to esi ajM-. After that there
vv.js a greater degree of resjns t ami de
ference )>aid the volunteer arm of the
service by at lea>t that portion of the
regulars. I was an eye-witness to the
occurrence, andean testify to the truth
of the story.
An Fnostentatlons Ruler.
The French people, it is claitmsl. are
naturally ostentatii us. They like
jtarade and display, especially in their
rulers, lint the president of the re
public, M. tirevy. Is one of the most
modest rulers known to history. He
lives in a large house, the Chateau of
Montaons Vsudrav, which has twenty
five guest rooms, to which, however,
no strangers are invited. His
daughter is married to Mr. Wilson, an
Englishman. Their child Is the de
light of the domestic presTdent of the
republic. M. Hrevy rises at eight,
works until the afternoon, fishes for an
hotir or two on the banks of the Loire. •
w Inch is faiacsl for its abundanco of
the finny trilie. After dinner, he
jdays billiards and enjoys his fainily
life. At twenty minutes past ten all
the lamjts in the chateau are
extinguished. M. Grevy is not a very
brilliant man. hut he is a good and
solid one. and while he may not I* *
s.cond Washington, he has many of
the good traits of chatarter which
have given such an enviable fame to
the first American president ~Dcmrest. J
Address to a ftea-Blrd.
Ob, wild WRu wso'lerer,
Piwiplm jritnlerer.
Haunter of bmven n<l sesrcher of •,
Htorm seorncr, tliunder born,
Through cloud* MO rider torn,
'X'lion not lor wm-U-i born.
Ili-dlcM of lioir ir, with *ii kle-like -e
Out!'-at lb* aile-'t awmtb,
Kiotce, urmfrio/|.
Wlum the fierce <juivcriii|{ llghtnlng-fting.
•hivering,
Hurts m the dark erlh
The analta ol IU blade.
Polar mown mow on thee,
Tropic winds blow on tbee,
I'eiii[>est and terror are stung with delight;
Ocean's broad billows
To tbee are thy pillows,
Vast hollowed heaven thy chsrnber at night,
.Sunrise and tnoonrie and wil lenng wa
ters,
l idnight's pale shadows, the cl'/ud's sil
ver daughters,
All gs/e upoti thi*? and entry thy flight,
freedom itself in ita jeruoua high'.
Cries He ts mine in his rrueo and nis
might '
Blackvooft Majatittt.
lIIMOKOI S.
i tie net that is most popular with
blonde youth brunette.
Lung courtships are to he avoided —
especially when they last until three
o'clock in the morning.
A notisl physii ian says that nearly
all women have smaller chests and
trunks than they ought. Baggagemen
don't think so.
When a young man escorts his girl
home after evening service, he finds
• that the longest way round is near
enough for him.
"No trouble to have my ears Iored,"
remarked the young lady with diamond
pendants "1 have it done at ■v> ry
party I attend."
"The difference." mused Twistem,
"between a necessary adjunct of the
kitchen and a fat party going up a
ladder j* simply this; One's a muffin
pan, the other'- a [ ufi n' man.
Little N<Uie, six \ . ars old, who has
lss-n at school two weeks: "Mamma.
I am next to the head of my class'"
Mamma "llow many scholars are there
in the i la-s, Nellie?" Nellie—"Two,
mamuia'"
The voting lady who considers it an
endles- ) ieei of Lit or to n w on a sus*
ju nder button, goes into ecstaciea of
delight ever, and thinks nothing of
making a quilt containing about four
thousand piei es of silk.
"t an you give me a bite or two?"
yskod the tramp "< ertainly." replied
the farmer. "Here. Towser. Towvr"'
"Nevermind," said the tramp as he
cleared the wall; "don't go to any
trouble alsuit it. 1 thought you had
it handy. I'm not very hungry now
an\how."
out in Manitoba a couple of leading
citi7etis had it r.v< on foot ahmt which
tic re was considerable Utting and
excitement. The lin-al pajwr in its
heading. "A Font 15.ee," gut in an
"1" inst. ad of a -t." This did not suit
the eomj<etiters to a "t." Such an
insinuation was not 'T'-egant.
A Strange Hallucination t'nrcd.
Malehranche, a celehratod philoso
pher of the seventeenth century, was
for a l->ng time the victim of a singular
notion. The I. ndon J •urwtl says he
fancied that he had an enormous leg of
mutt'in attached lo the end <>f Ids nose.
A friend would shake hands with him
and inquire, "How is M. Malebranche
t slay '" "Pretty well, on the whole;
I nt this horrid leg of mutton is getting
quite tinlmarnble by its weight and its
smell." "What' This leg of mutton ?"
• Yes. t'an't you see it hanging there
in front ?" If the friend burst into a
laugh, or ventured to deny the existence
of the trange phenomenon. Male
branche would get angry. At length
a colleague of his. a man gifted with a
sens> of the humorous, determined to
cure him by some means or other.
Palling upon him one day he affected
to perceive the cause of his trouble
and inquired a!>ont it. The imaginary
patient, overcome with gratitude, ran
to embrace this first Uiliever, who.
stepping backwards, uttered a cry,
"What! Have 1 hurt you, my friend?"
"f'erlainly: yon have run your leg of
mutton Into my eye. 1 really cannot
understand why TOU have not tried to
get rid of that awkward appendage
long since. If you will allow ine with
a raror - an operation performed with
out the slightest danger"— - "My
friend, my friend, you will pave saved
my life! Oh! Ah! oh."' In the
twinkling of an eye the friend had
slightly graxed the Up of hia note, and
producing from under his coat a splea.
did leg of mutton, he flourished it /
triumphantly in the air. "Ah," ex
claimed Malebranche, "1 Uve, I breathe!
My nose is free, my bead is free! But
- but— It was a raw one and this one
is cooked!" "Why, of course; you
base Iteen sitting for an hour close to
the Are!" From this time Malebranche
ceased to be haunted by his leg of
mutton.